Faucet-operating mechanism.



C. DED-ERER.

F AUCET OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-22. 1915.

WITNESSES.-

Patented 1 013.19, 1918.

] INVENTOR.

FAUCET-OPERAT1NG MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. is, rare.

Application filed September 22, 1915. Serial No. 52,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARLETON Dnonnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Faucet-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to faucet-operating devices and has for its object to provide a device of this nature which can be attached to any self-closing faucet of standard construction, and operated independently of any wall fixtures by a pedal. Further ob jects and advantages of this invention have reference to the novel and simple form and arrangement of structural parts used to accomplish this end.

It may be pointed out that a chain from the handle to a foot lever would do the work for a short time, but in practice it was found that the friction between the basin and the chain invariably caused breaking of the chain. This objection and the objection of using wall fixtures have been overcome in applicants invention by devising a means whereby a lever-arm mechanism of suitable length may be attached to self-closing faucets of standard construction, whereby the chain operating the faucet is held away from the basin, its sole connection being to the faucet, and to a pedal on or near the floor, and yet having the manual operation of the faucet unimpaired.

Furthermore, with applicants attachment the pedal may be thrown upward to a vertical position when it is desired to clean the floor beneath the pedal. This feature is important as the attachment is especially designed to be used in places where considerable dirt and the like is dropped on the floor. The attachment is especially useful in surgeons operating rooms where soiled hands might contaminate the faucets, and where, if the faucets were contaminated, the hands might become contaminated if the faucets were operated by hand.

This attachment is especially useful in rooms where the walls are tiled, because there any means for operating the faucets which would require attachment to the walls is impractical, and impossible without marring the wall.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device also showing a faucet with its spout extending diagonally toward the view-point;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation also showing a faucet with its spout extending diagonally away from the view-point;

Fig. 3 shows front and side elevations a plan view of the floor plate 24:;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the handle and means for attaching the chain thereto;

Fig. 5 shows detail views.

Fig. 1 shows a lever-arm 7 attached to the faucet 2 by a circular band 3 and pivot 1, whereby the chain 5 connected near the periphery of the faucet handle 6 by a pin 4, and to the lever-arm 7 by the pin 8, operates the faucet by being actuated by the pedal 9.

Fig. 2 shows the pedal 9, which rotates about the pivot 23 in the floor-plate 2%. Chain 5 is attached to pedal 9 by means of an eye-bolt 27, placed at a position suitable for affording proper leverage to the pedal 9 acting on chain 5 to cause rotation. of the faucet handle.

Fig. 3 shows the floor-plate 24: which furnishes a fulcrum for the pedal 9. The plate has guide members 80 to make the pedal 9 act in a vertical plane.

23 designates the bolt which acts as the pivot in the floor-plate 24.

Fig. 4 shows the method of attaching the chain 5 to the faucet handle 6 by means of a pin 4: passed through the holes in the spread out terminal link of the chain 5. and through a hole near the periphery of the handle 6.

Fig. 5 shows the details of the faucet-attached members showing the straight member or lever-arm 7 with its pin 8 and two flanges 21, which is held pivotally connected with the band 3 by means of the pivot-bolt 1, and two flanges 22 through which pin 8 is passed to hold chain 5 fast to the leverarm 7 near its end.

The operation, method of use and advantages of the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the following statement:

The centers of the pins 4 and 8, and the center of the place of attachment of the cha n 5 to the pedal 9 define a plane which tends to'become coincident with the plane in which the lever-arm 7 functionates. There is suiiicient movability in the joint around an d pivot 1 taken in conjunction with the rotatability of band 3 around the faucet to allow lever-arm 7 automatically to be drawn toward this plane, thereby facilitating the proper mechanical function of the mechanism as a whole.

This device is suitable for use in ofiice buildings, especially in those having a cement floor where a wooden strip is found around the edge of the floor, making it convenient to screw the floor-plate 24 to the wooden strip on the floor.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim and desireto secure Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a self-closing faucet of standard construction, of a detachable operating mechanism comprising a faucot-fitting annular band provided With hinge-like holding means, a lever-arm secured at one end to said means, a chain attached to the other end of the lever-arm, the chain being also operably attached at one copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the v Washington, D. 0.

end to the handle of the faucet and a pedal to which the other end of the chain is attached.

2. The combination with a self-closing faucet of standard construction, of a detachable operating device comprising a mechanism fitted to said faucet and provided with hinge-like holding means, a lever-arm secured at one end to said means, a chain attached to the other end of the lever-arm, the chain being also operably attached at one end to the handle of the faucet, and a pedal to which the other end of the chain is attached.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARLETON DEDERER.

Witnesses:

WM. KAUFFMAN, MAE L. GORDON.

Commissioner of Patents, 

